Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
Buck Regulators Presented as Industry's Smallest
April 29, 2008 9:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsIntended for use in applications such as handheld devices and automotive power adapters, the LM34917A and LM34919 step-down switching regulators from National Semiconductor is presented as the smallest devices of their type currently available. Features of the non-synchronous devices include a peak efficiency equal to or greater than 90 percent, a programmable switching frequency of up to 2 MHz
Kit Enables MicroBlaze-Based Linux Design
April 29, 2008 7:47 am | Product Releases | CommentsBased on the PetaLogix Petalinux and LynuxWork’s BlueCAT Linux distribution and tool chains, the MicroBlaze Processor SpeedWay Design Workshop from Avnet includes the Linux for MicroBlaze Processor DVD, the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (Spartan™-3A DSP MicroBlaze Processor Edition), and attendance at an Avnet Linux for MicroBlaze Processor Workshop.
Quad Programmable Extended CODEC/SLIC IC Optimized Short-loop VOIP Applications
April 29, 2008 5:40 am | Product Releases | CommentsPresented as industry’s first four-channel CODEC optimized for short-loop VoIP applications, the W684386 from Winbond Electronics Corp. is a highly integrated solution to support four FXS telephone line interfaces on a single low-power CMOS device. Optimized for short-loop applications, the device targets the VoIP equipment market, including products such as high-density VoIP gateways
Thermal Concerns in LED Lighting
April 28, 2008 11:40 am | by Steve Bowling, Microchip Technology Inc. | Articles | CommentsWhile LEDs offer mainstream lighting applications benefits such as long life, durability and high efficiency, the lifetime of an LED product may be significantly shortened without proper thermal management safeguards in your design.
Kits for Kids 2008
April 28, 2008 10:55 am | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsWith summer vacation on the way, keep kids occupied with engineering-like activities and projects.
Hot-Swap Management IC Enhances AdvancedMC Applications
April 28, 2008 9:23 am | Product Releases | CommentsLinear Stage Achieves 1-Micron Resolution
April 28, 2008 8:31 am | Product Releases | CommentsProviding a load capability of up to 200 kg, a continuous force as high as 1978 N (5933 N peak), a velocity of up to 25 m/sec, and acceleration of up to 9 G’s, the dual-profile rail linear motor-driven linear positioning stage from H2W Technologies has a resolution as fine as 1 µm. Well-suited for use as the base or “X” axis in stacked multi-stage applications such as inspection, pick-and-place
When Do You Work with a Contract Manufacturer?
April 28, 2008 7:41 am | by Jon Titus | Articles | CommentsEngineers at start-up companies and even some larger companies don’t want to go to a contract manufacturer that also builds zillions of complex boards and products for big companies. Instead, these engineers want the daily hand holding associated with building prototypes.
PCB Prototype Success Is In the Cards
April 28, 2008 6:33 am | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsFabricators can quickly deliver high-quality PCB prototypes. To ensure success you must play your cards right.
Small 15W Industrial Switcher
April 28, 2008 6:02 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe Mean Well RS-15 Series Industrial Switcher from PowerGate offers 15W of single output power in 2.44” x 2.00” x 1.10" caged enclosure. The power supply operates on both Universal AC Input (85V AC to 264V AC) and 120V DC to 370V DC Input voltages. It uses 105°C long-life capacitors for improved reliability with an MTBF in excess of 1.6 million hours (MIL-HDBL-2175 / 25°C).
Protecting intellectual property by design
April 25, 2008 9:36 am | by Leon M. Attarian, ECN Editorial Advisory Board, Director of Marketing for PennEngineering | Articles | CommentsIndustrial intellectual property (IP) offers a powerful tool to communicate and reinforce expectations associated with product quality, consistency, and performance. In all forms (whether brand names, patents, trademarks, design markings, or others), IP additionally can help point the way to reputable “tried-and-true” product solutions and draw clear distinctions in an increasingly complex global marketplace.
MCU Development Platforms Provide Interactive Feedback
April 25, 2008 7:10 am | Renesas | Product Releases | CommentsCreated to support development of the M16C, R8C and H8 microcontroller (MCU) product families, the Renesas Technology family of Sub-Atomic Particle Board demonstration platforms enable assessment of the on-chip peripheral functions and system development tools supplemented by interactive tutorials that quickly and easily guide users through necessary setup procedures and learning scenarios. An integrated suite of hardware and software
LabVIEW Module Supports ARM Microcontrollers
April 25, 2008 6:37 am | Product Releases | CommentsPresented as an extension of the LabVIEW graphical system design platform, the NI LabVIEW Embedded Module for ARM Microcontrollers directly supports the ARM 7, ARM 9 and Cortex-M3 microcontroller families. The module can create embedded applications and deploy them with drivers that enable domain experts to graphically program all components of the ARM microcontroller including the analog and digital I/O.
Digital Power Management and the PMBus
April 25, 2008 5:50 am | by Torbjorn Holmberg, Ericsson Power Modules | Articles | CommentsAs systems that incorporate low-voltage logic become ever more complex, the power supplies necessary to correctly operate multiple-voltage chips such as DSPs and FPGAs similarly increase in complexity. For example, it’s now commonplace for an FPGA’s core to operate at 1.2 – 1.8V, while its I/O banks run from multiple levels to interface with external logic families. Most often, chips that have core power supplies that are independent from I/O and auxiliary levels require careful power sequencing to ensure they start up and operate correctly.
Rotary Magnetic Encoder Boasts Long Life Expectancy
April 25, 2008 5:33 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe EMS22 non-contacting magnetic encoders from Bourns, Inc. are suited for environments where extreme range of temperatures and harsh conditions like moisture, particles, grease and oil are present. Typical applications include factory automation, fuel dispensing, marine, metal working and instrumentation and material handling. The RoHS compliant magnetic encoder family performs in a temperature ranging from -40°C to +125°C and
